Mississippi school district provides gifted students with creative programWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2011 22:28 PM

Many schools around the country provide special programs for students that meet certain academic requirements, such as a high IQ. For example, gifted individuals from the Hattiesburg Public School District in Mississippi devote five hours a week to the REACH program, the Hattiesburg American reported.

In total, there are 175 second through eighth graders currently participating in the District's gifted program, the news source stated. In order to gain entry into REACH, students must score in the 90th percentile of their age group on an IQ test that is administered by the District. Mississippi's minimum state required score is 119.

"Our goal is to create an educational environment that meets the needs of intellectually-gifted children that allows for autonomous learning, creative thinking [and] meta-cognition, outside of what the regular, standard curriculum would offer them," Jas N. Smith, a spokesman for the District, told the news outlet.

Currently, REACH students are being taught how to flex their creative muscles, the news source stated. In a class of six at Thames Elementary School, program participants recently made lengthy lists of all the items that can be placed inside of a hat.

According to Livestrong, IQ tests can identify potential areas of academic achievement for students.